An “empty nester” found a way to support his daughters while they were away at JMU.
After a nudge from a friend, JMU Parent Jeff Carr joined the Parents Council to support his daughters’ Madison Experiences — and deepened his love for JMU.
Jeff Carr
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Favorite JMU cause: Parents & Families Fund
Advice for JMU parents to find community through JMU: Attending sporting events is a great way to immerse yourself in the Dukes spirit and connect with the JMU community. You can also explore contributing as an advisor if you have a career or work-related skill. Volunteering as a mentor or helping the career center are other meaningful ways to support students and deepen your connection to the university.
Healthcare leader Jeff Carr didn’t know about the JMU Parents Council until he received an informational piece about it from the university. The JMU Parents Council provides a volunteer opportunity for family members of JMU students to serve as liaisons between the university and parents, providing advice and guidance on programs and serving as spokespeople and advocates for the university.
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“I love how organized the Parents Council is. I like to have fun — don’t get me wrong — but I love the formality.” — Jeff Carr |
With middle daughter Sophia (’24) entering her senior year and youngest daughter Ella (’27) entering her sophomore year at JMU, Carr turned the volunteer opportunity over in his mind.
“When you have daughters in college, you're kind of an empty nester,” he said.
When Carr mentioned the Parents Council to a friend and former colleague over lunch, his friend insisted that Carr seriously consider joining. “I obviously wanted to do it. Otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned it to him,” Carr said. “But I think I was more inspired after I spoke with him. He gave me the push.”
A ‘thought-provoking’ opportunity
Currently the operations administrator at Mayo Clinic, Carr worked as a healthcare executive at the Northern Virginia nonprofit INOVA for 26 years. Though no stranger to professional interviews, he didn’t expect the interview that awaited him for Parents Council.
Some questions asked include, “‘Tell us about an issue that concerned you and you initiated an action plan. What was your approach? How did you enlist others? What was the outcome?’,” said Stephanie Shafer (‘94), the associate director of family engagement.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that's a deep question,’” Carr said. As a father of three daughters, Carr said his answer centered on gender bias in the workplace.
“When you interview to be a volunteer, sometimes you just sign up and you are in it,” he said. “I love the fact that… I was actually interviewed. If I think back to the questions that were asked of me, they were thought provoking.”
Getting ‘all the answers’
When Carr’s daughters were looking at colleges, they both wanted to attend a school that offered a Chinese Minor. “That was one of their criteria,” he said, “and JMU has that.”
“They both love Mandarin Chinese, like they speak it to each other.”
As a JMU parent, Carr has a special perspective on the student experience through his daughters. During his first year on the Parent's Council, he served on the student life committee, often jumping at opportunities to volunteer on campus.
At CHOICES, JMU’s admitted–student open house, Jeff sat at a table “right at a major intersection” of campus with a current student and a JMU admissions counselor. “I thought that JMU was so smart because you had all the demographics,” he said, “You got all the answers from a parent's view, a student's view and an admissions view.”
“I love how organized the Parents Council is. I like to have fun — don’t get me wrong — but I love the formality.”
Another Duke joins the family
As a healthcare executive, Carr has worked with many JMU alumni over the years. “In the employer world, when I think of [a] Duke or a JMU grad… I [think] professional, extremely professional and competent in the work that they do,” he said. “I thought this before, but now I really think it, because I have two daughters there.”
Last May, Sophia graduated from JMU with a degree in International Relations and minors in Chinese and Asian Studies. By last March, she already had a job lined up — and more offers have rolled in since.
“I think back to people that I might have worked with 20 years ago [and think] this is exactly the way Ella and Sophia are,” Carr reflected. “JMU has something to do with that in my opinion. It really does.”
Carr will continue to serve on the Parents Council until Ella, an Intelligence Analysis major, graduates from JMU in 2027. He might not have attended JMU himself, but he’s certainly embraced his place in the JMU family. “I absolutely consider myself a Duke,” Carr said. “I'm a latecomer but… I'm a parent of two JMU students, so for me, I love everything about the school.”
